News

Every May, hospices around the world come together to mark ‘Dying Matters Week’, an awareness week that aims to open up conversations around death, dying, and bereavement. This year the focus is on the importance of ‘being in a good place to die’ – physically, emotionally and with the right care in place – something that the team at Jersey Hospice Care are passionate about. During the week commencing 2^nd May, the nurses and other healthcare professionals at Hospice will be sharing advice on Advance Care Planning and encouraging Islanders to think about the future.

The team at Hospice are committed to supporting their patients and loved ones to live life to the full and to make every moment count. They know that making time for these sometimes difficult conversations and decisions around death and dying can help ensure that each patient receives the care that they want at one of the most difficult times of their lives.

As part of the week a team from Jersey Hospice Care will be at Brook Street, St Helier on Wednesday 4^th May between 10am and 2.30pm to encourage Islands to think and talk about the future.

Director of Palliative Care Services at Jersey Hospice Care, Hilary Hopkins, said: “I’m glad we are joining hospices across the UK and taking the time to highlight this important subject. By removing the stigma from talking about dying, people can ensure their wishes are known and recorded. This helps to reduce added stress for loved ones during end-of-life care, so being able to plan is incredibly important.  It ensures that people can receive the care and support they want, where they want, and their loved ones find it just a little bit easier knowing that plans have been put in place.”

For Dying Matters Week this year, the team at Hospice team will use the three pillars Place, People and Plan to help Islanders start the conversation with their loved ones.

The nurses at Hospice are skilled at supporting patients to develop an Advance Care Plan. This usually considers the Place where a patient may want to receive care such as at Hospice, home, their care home, or the Hospital; the People they want around them who are key to their emotional and spiritual wellbeing; and a bespoke Plan for the care they may need and who can provide it. It can also cover certain important estate planning areas, such as making a will. By having a patient’s wishes set out in advance, it helps the team providing that care to do so in line with their preferences as far as possible.

For more details please head to the Jersey Hospice Care Facebook and Instagram pages where they will be sharing resources, talking points, information and more all week. These resources will all be available on their website too at www.jerseyhospicecare.com/DyingMattersWeek. Individuals and healthcare professionals can access Advance Care Planning resources, for free, at www.jerseyhospicecare.com/professional.